Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE| Duration: | 04/2024 - 03/2027 |
| Contracting Authority/ Sponsors: | Projektträger Jülich; Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH |
| Project Partners: | Infineon Technologies AG; Diehl AKO Stiftung & Co. KG; Vaillant GmbH; TLK-Thermo GmbH; Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg |
| Project Focus: |       |
InnoWP - Innovative Power Electronics for Highly Efficient Compressor Drives in the Heat Pump Mass Market
Test rig for the characterization of compressors used in refrigerant circuits for heat pumps and chillers.
Power PCB of an inverter with IMS technology and integrated GaN semiconductors, gate drivers and DC link.
One prerequisite for achieving climate neutrality by 2045 is the rapid expansion of heat pumps in the building sector. According to the German government's heat pump campaign, the total number of installed heat pumps is set to increase from around 2 million in 2023 to over six million by 2030. The “InnoWP” project addresses key challenges for this market ramp-up in the areas of power electronics and semiconductors for the entire performance range of heat pumps in residential buildings, from new single-family houses to larger existing multi-family buildings.
“InnoWP” addresses the core challenges of a strongly accelerated market ramp-up of heat pumps in the fields of power electronics and semiconductors.
The following research priorities are being addressed:
- Increasing the efficiency of heat pump inverters, particularly in partial load operation, by researching and testing gate drivers.
- Research into highly efficient wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor switches made of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for use in heat pump inverters.
- Research into gate driver integrated circuits (ICs) for flexible, parameterizable control.
- Research into optimized inverter topologies to improve electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), to reduce the grid load by avoiding reactive power and to reduce thermal losses.
- Optimized inverter topologies, WBG semiconductors and the possible integration of the researched gate driver ICs into the packages are intended to save copper and aluminium.
- Research into digital status monitoring of semiconductors in heat pump inverters in real time to increase lifetime through de-rating and for condition monitoring.
As part of the “InnoWP” project, the Power Electronics and Grid Integration department at Fraunhofer ISE is developing an inverter for heat pumps as a technology demonstrator with GaN components. This is characterized above all by high efficiency and reduced filter requirements.
The Department of Heating and Cooling Technology at Fraunhofer ISE is expanding the testing and inspection options for inverters, compressors and refrigeration circuits. All inverters with compressors developed in the “InnoWP” project are measured and characterized in the laboratories of the Department of Heating and Cooling Technology.